American Airlines To Invest In Maintenance Technicians At West Los Angeles College

American Airlines To Invest In Maintenance Technicians At West Los Angeles College 

American Airlines has partnered with West Los Angeles College to invest in future aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs). Through the collaboration, students will be able to develop their skills by engaging with the carrier’s maintenance professionals based at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

West Los Angeles College expects the partnership will give the students a “competitive edge” when they begin their careers. It comes just over a month after American announced its plans to add over 300 new employees at its maintenance facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after receiving more than $20 million from the state to fund improvements.

Next generation investment

The partnership was announced on Thursday at West Los Angeles College’s hangar in Culver City, California. Evie Garces, American’s Vice President of Line Maintenance, along with Dr. Jeffrey Archibald, the institution's Vice President of Academic Affairs, were in attendance. Additionally, professionals from American’s LAX line maintenance base and students attended to commemorate the collaboration.

With more than 450 on its line maintenance team at LAX, American said it will be able to give students and aspiring AMTs new tools through ongoing engagement opportunities such as mentorship and expertise from professional experience in the real world.

In a statement, Garces said the carrier’s AMTs are “eager” to work with students.

American is excited to partner with West Los Angeles College to train the next generation of aviation maintenance professionals. Well-trained AMTs are in high demand, and West prepares students for successful, lucrative careers. Our team of locally-based AMTs is eager to work side-by-side with students, providing ongoing mentorship and real-world experience. American has proudly served Los Angeles for more than 75 years and this is just one more way we continue to support the community where our customers and team members live and work.

“The best in the business”

The Dallas/Fort Worth-based airline and its wholly-owned regional subsidiaries employ nearly 7,000 maintenance team members at LAX. 468 are professionals who work on the line maintenance team, which plays an integral role in maintaining over 950 aircraft in American’s fleet.

Dr. James Limbaugh, President of West Los Angeles College, also discussed the new partnership.

The students, faculty and staff at West are collectively excited about the launch of a new partnership with American Airlines, and the unique opportunities it will provide our students. American’s team of aviation maintenance professionals is the best in the business and we look forward to welcoming them to campus. Our students will benefit greatly from their expertise and will have a competitive edge when they graduate and enter the workforce. At West, our motto is ‘Go West. Go Far.’ With this partnership, our students will go even further than before.

Welcoming more professionals in Tulsa

American also said the partnership includes “guaranteed interviews for top-performing students,” which would put some ahead in the workforce after they graduate. The airline said in December that it would be looking to add more than 300 new maintenance team members at its facility in Tulsa.

Known as Tech Ops – Tulsa, the maintenance base is the largest commercial aviation facility in the world and has served as its main location since 1946. On December 13, 2023, American was awarded $22 million from Oklahoma’s Business Expansion Incentive Program to fund improvements and grow the facility over the next three years.